Second Love
by wordalert
Summary: You only get one soul mate in your life. Has he already missed his? Ji Hoo X Ga Eul X Yi Jeong. Reviews are appreciated!
1. Chapter 1

Second Love

Chapter 1

You only get one soul mate in your life. Has he already missed his?

Ji Hoo looked fondly at Jan Di. Sometimes he would consider abandoning her as a hopeless cause and find someone else, but the thought always disappeared before it could fully take form. His heart just didn't seem to care that this girl was already taken, that she would never be his. He would be lying if he said he would be content just watching her, but if that was as far as he could get with her, then he would just have to accept that.

"Sunbae? Are you okay?" He was jolted back to reality as Jan Di's concerned face came into his line of vision.

"Yeah, I'm fine." He shook his head to clear away all the distracting thoughts. "Do you want something to drink?" He got up abruptly before even getting a response from the surprised girl. He needed some space between them right now, or he would start thinking too much about their relationship again.

It wasn't that he didn't like thinking about their relationship, he mused as he slipped a few yen into the vending machine. It was just a sore topic for him, and he started getting depressed whenever it even crossed his mind. And as good and caring a girl as Jan Di was, she still couldn't fully hide her preference of the happier Ji Hoo hwho could always make her laugh instead of the sad and morbid one who still pined after his lost love. Therefore he had promised himself to always remain like that happy Ji Hoo in front of her.

With two cups of that wonderfully cheap coffee she loved in hand and a determined mind frame back in place, he headed back to their usual seats in front of the swimming pool building.

Just in time to see Jan Di with Jun Pyo. They were kissing with such passion that despite himself, Ji Hoo felt a pang of jealousy. He backed behind a wall as to not disturb them. A split second later, he wished he had disturbed them after all.

"Jan Di, you know I love you. Will you marry me?"

In that brief second before her answer, it seemed as if his heart had stopped beating. He didn't care about his friendship with Jun Pyo anymore. He just wanted to do something, _anything_, to prevent her from saying the word he knew she would utter.

"Yes."

He felt as if he was being consumed from the inside. Everything was pain, just like it had been in the car crash, and just like back then, there was no one to comfort him.

He staggered away from the sight of the happy couple, moaning softly. He couldn't deny it anymore; he had truly loved Jan Di, and seeing her form such a bond with another man was unbearable.

He hadn't even realized his feet had carried him in front of the elevator. He sighed and pressed the "up" button, wanting nothing more than a tall building to jump off of.

As the elevator doors closed, he noticed a smudge of black ink on the side of the elevator railing.

"Jan Di and Jun Pyo, first night together."

Suddenly the elevator seemed way too small. The pain from Jun Pyo's proposal had intensified and he truly felt as if he wanted to die.

Just then, the elevator doors slid open, and in stepped a girl. The first thing he noticed was the bracelet she wore. Unconsciously he reached out to it, hearing the girls slight gasp.

"Sunbae?"

His mind roared. Jan Di had come back to him. This bracelet was the one she had in New Caledonia and left on the sand. She had come back to him.

He rushed at her, wrapping his arms around her, breathing in her scent. He didn't see Jun Pyo anywhere, which was odd considering what he had just witnessed, but he was too weak with relief to care. Someone had come for him after all; he no longer had to endure the pain by himself.

"Ji Hoo sunbae…" her voice shook a little and he looked down tenderly at the woman he loved and always would love.

And got the shock of a lifetime.

Long straight black hair… this wasn't Jan Di! Oh dear, she must think him a pedophile, grabbing her as soon as she got into the elevator. "Uh…" For the first time, he was at a loss for words. "Sorry—"

That was as far as he got into his apology before his emotions got the better of him and he eased into a world of darkness, falling into the arms of a very shocked Chu Ga Eul.


	2. Chapter 2

**AN: Thanks for the reviews The Korean Filipino and Choppy1993! Hope I don't disappoint with this new chapter!**

Last time in Chapter 1…

And got the shock of a lifetime.

Long straight black hair… this wasn't Jan Di! Oh dear, she must think him a pedophile, grabbing her as soon as she got into the elevator. "Uh…" For the first time, he was at a loss for words. "Sorry—"

That was as far as he got into his apology before his emotions got the better of him and he eased into a world of darkness, falling into the arms of a very shocked Chu Ga Eul.

Second Love: Chapter 2

Well, this was awkward.

She had boarded the elevator with the intent of going upstairs for some peace and quiet. She needed to sort out her feelings for Yi Jeong, and to do that she first needed some serenity.

The current situation was definitely not the serenity she had been imagining. Ji Hoo sunbae had just fallen unconscious on top of her and was now gently… snoring? Why, yes he was! Courteous, gentlemanly snores but snores nonetheless. Well, at least she now knew he wasn't dead.

Okay, calm down Ga Eul, she told herself. You've just gone into an elevator, and Ji Hoo sunbae suddenly went insane, jumped on you, then fainted. This kind of thing happens every once in a while, right? No need to panic. You can handle this.

On cue, her cellphone rang. Ga Eul awkwardly shifted Ji Hoo's weight onto one arm as she fumbled around for the ringing device. "Hello?" she asked breathlessly.

"Hey Ga Eul." She froze. It was Yi Jeong.

"Hello?"

"Oh, sorry, hey Yi Jeong sunbae. You startled me." She laughed nervously. Under normal circumstances, she would've called Yi Jeong immediately and had him pick them up. However, Yi Jeong had been busy all week getting ready for a worldwide art exhibition, and news of one of his best friends fainting was sure to break his concentration.

"Startled you?" Yi Jeong sounded amused. "I thought you would've been happy to hear from me. Should I hang up?"

"Um…" Ga Eul hestitated. "Yeah, I think that would be a good idea."

"What?" Yi Jeong stared at his phone. Did she just say what he thought she said? No. Ga Eul _never_ hung up first! What in the world was going on? Had she finally given up after pursuing him for so long? The thought made him frown.

"I think hanging up would be a good idea," Ga Eul repeated, causing Yi Jeong's frown to deepen. "Sorry sunbae, I'm kind of busy right now." Busy? What could she be doing that she deemed was more important than talking to him? Was she mad at him because he had rejected her?

"Ga Eul, I was just joking. I really called to ask you out for dinner." Whoa, where did that come from? He had called… well he didn't usually need a reason to call because she was usually so happy to hear from him that it never really mattered… Was asking her out just an instinct borne out of insecurity, something he had done to make sure she hadn't lost interest in him? No dammit, he was So Yi Jeong, one of Korea's biggest playboys! He would charm women, play around with them, sleep with them, but he would not chase after them like some lovesick puppy! No, what was he thinking; he wasn't in love with Ga Eul!

Yi Jeong was just about to speak and take back what he said when Ga Eul cut in and the words died on his lips.

"Sorry sunbae, I really have to go." No. She did not just reject his offer to dinner! No woman _ever_ rejects him.

"Wai—"

"I'll call you later, sunbae." There was a beep as Ga Eul disconnected, but not before Yi Jeong heard a distinctly male voice let out a low moan.

"What the hell is she doing?

**AN: Sorry if there wasn't a lot of action in this. I'm trying to gradually introduce the Yi Jeong X Ga Eul in this, but it ain't working so well :/. Next chapter will be more Ji Hoo X Ga Eul. Remember, reviews and suggestions are greatly appreciated, as are visits to my website .com!**


	3. Chapter 3

**AN: I'm so proud of myself to be updating so quickly but I'm not sure if this chapter's any good. It's longer though! Another point to be proud of ^^**

**I might not be updating so frequently anymore after school starts, but please bear with me!**

_Last chapter…_

"_Wai—"_

_ "I'll call you later, sunbae." There was a beep as Ga Eul disconnected, but not before Yi Jeong heard a distinctly male voice let out a low moan._

_ "What the hell is she doing?_

Second Love: Chapter 3

Ga Eul started as Ji Hoo stirred. She quickly disconnected the phone and used both hands to steady him.

"Whuh?" He blinked rapidly, but upon suddenly noticing his proximity to her, got up abruptly. Due to him still being on top of her, this resulted in a colliding of heads and a slight brush of lips.

Gingerly rubbing her forehead, Ga Eul turned away so Ji Hoo wouldn't see her blush.

"Sory…" Ga Eul waved him away, not trusting herself to turn around until her blush had finally subsided. He really didn't need to know that he had technically just stolen her first kiss. "Did I hurt you? Let me see." A gentle hand landed on her shoulder, trying to turn her around.

"No!" she exclaimed, batting the hand away, then immediately regretting it. Ji Hoo sunbae had just fainted, but his concern had still been for her. And here she was, acting like a baby just because of her naïve idealisms. Thinking like this, her blush faded, and she turned around to face Ji Hoo fully.

"Sorry sunbae, I just got on the elevator and you fainted. You were out for a few minutes. Do you remember what happened?" Seeing his expression, she quickly added, "You don't have to tell me if you don't want to; I understand if it's personal. The best thing to do now would probably be to take you to the hospital—"

"No!" Ji Hoo gripped her hand so hard Ga Eul had to will herself not to snatch it away. "I mean," he amended, slackening his hold, "it's really not necessary. I have, um, anxiety attacks sometimes. It's nothing serious."

It seems pretty serious if falling unconscious is a regular symptom, Ga Eul wanted to argue, but she kept her mouth shut. Ji Hoo looked exhausted and she didn't want to trigger another "attack".

Ji Hoo looked slightly uncomfortable as he sought to change the topic. "So, um, want to go out for dinner?"

He watched as her mouth formed a small O of surprise and her cheeks once again became the same shade of rosy red they had been when he had accidentally pressed his lips against hers. He found it extremely cute that she could be so innocent against things like these.

Just like Jan Di. Ji Hoo's mouth tightened ever so slightly at this thought. It didn't seem right that he could be so light-hearted only minutes after finding out about her engagement. Still, he found himself explaining to Ga Eul in a way that could be easily mistaken as flirtatious (whoa, since when could he be flirtatious?) and even adding in a wink. "I have to pay you back for saving my life, don't I?"

He really did feel as if he owed Ga Eul. She had been there when he was at his lowest, and had been a shoulder to lean on… literally. Ji Hoo smiled wryly as he realized how similar he and Ga Eul were. They both like to stay in the background behind their loudmouth friends and both chased after someone they knew they would never catch. The only difference was that in Ji Hoo's case it was true but Ga Eul's dream date was only pretending to be uninterested.

It was obvious that Yi Jeong like Ga Eul at least as much as the latter liked him back. The playboy had always liked to date multiple women at a time, but ever since Ga Eul had first asked him out (and got rejected), the number of women had doubled. To others, this shouldn't only served as proof of his disinterest, but the F4 knew that Yi Jeong was just afraid of giving his heart completely to someone else. So instead he partied more, drank more, slept with more women, and did more pottery, all in an attempt to avoid and ignore the second woman to have ever pulled at his heartstrings.

Personally, he thought it was unfair that Ga Eul should go through so much pain on someone else's account. A fragile girl like her who dreamed of soul mates really shouldn't pine after someone as ruthless a bastard as Yi Jeong was. Even if he did like her back, that cold nature of his would only bring her more pain.

Ji Hoo was shaken out of his reverie by Ga Eul's shy "Okay." He smiled, rather pleased with himself but not quite sure why.

"Let's go then."

Ga Eul tried to keep her mouth closed but it was hard. Even the tablecloth here looked too expensive to touch. She wondered if Ji Hoo sunbae came to these places regularly.

She stumbled a bit and then jerked in surprise as Ji Hoo's arm snaked around her waist to stead her. He seemed not to notice her reaction and continued to walk in that unconcerned way of his. Seeing him so comfortable in their current position, she relaxed as well.

Ji Hoo noticed her discomfort and smiled slightly. "Don't worry, I'll pay."

"Oh no it's not that!" Ga Eul waved her hands hurriedly. "It's just that I never realized how different the rich were from us commoners until now…" She trailed off, looking lost.

Ji Hoo reached across the table to put a hand over Ga Eul's. "I know you probably think all rich people are unfeeling creatures and that all we do is play around with commoners. But," he cut her off as she looked as if she were about to interrupt, "but we're not all like that. We have feelings, and inner battles too. It's just that the demands of our society have caused us to hide what we really feel deeper than most people probe." He stopped when he heard light sniffles coming from behind the sheet of hair she had hidden herself with. He just looked at her and waited patiently.

When she finally did respond, she lifted her head and he could see that her eyes were still bright with unshed tears. "Thank you sunbae. You told me exactly what I needed to hear. Here I was trying to comfort you, but instead you managed to comfort me. You're a really good guy."

He was so surprised that at first he didn't respond when she hugged him. When he recovered, he hugged her back. "Do you want to talk about it?" he asked softly.

She gave him a smile that made something move in his heart and looked up at him. "No. Let's _both_ talk about it."

Those words unleashed a torrent of others. They spent the rest of dinner talking about everything, from their unlucky love lives to their favourite flavour of jell-o. Ga Eul confided that she didn't really want to chase after Yi Jeong anymore, and that she didn't think she could face the pain of another rejection. Ji Hoo confessed why he had been so down in the elevator and told her of Jan Di and Jun Pyo's engagement. But through it all, those words kept playing through Ji Hoo's mind. _You're a really good guy._ The words made him oddly happy and light-hearted. In fact, now that he thought of it, Ga Eul in general made him light-hearted. Her smiling face, her dancing eyes…

All of which had suddenly deadened. She was looking past him in a forlorn way that made his heart break. He looked back, already half-expecting what was behind him.

So Yi Jeong was also in the bar, and he was making out with another woman.

**AN: o.O Do you think Ga Eul should end up with Yi Jeong? Or Ji Hoo? Please review and tell me your suggestions!**

**Thanks for reviewing, Hosterio, maru and ROFL! You guys really made my day, and made me want to update faster!**

**And to end this on a final note, please visit my website!^^ (Don't worry, I'm gonna do this type of advertising after every chapter) wordalert{dot}webs{dot}com**


	4. Chapter 4

**AN: Yi Jeong or Ji Hoo? Still undecided because the votes are tied! O_O I actually started writing this with the intention of the pairing being Ji Hoo X Ga Eul, since I totally **_**hated**_** the fact that Ji Hoo was alone in the end! Still, the SoEulmates natural chemistry is making things tough… but anyways, enjoy the new chapter!**

_Last time…_

_Those words unleashed a torrent of others. They spent the rest of dinner talking about everything, from their unlucky love lives to their favourite flavour of jell-o. Ga Eul confided that she didn't really want to chase after Yi Jeong anymore, and that she didn't think she could face the pain of another rejection. Ji Hoo confessed why he had been so down in the elevator and told her of Jan Di and Jun Pyo's engagement. But through it all, those words kept playing through Ji Hoo's mind. _You're a really good guy_. The words made him oddly happy and light-hearted. In fact, now that he thought of it, Ga Eul in general made him light-hearted. Her smiling face, her dancing eyes…_

_ All of which had suddenly deadened. She was looking past him in a forlorn way that made his heart break. He looked back, already half-expecting what was behind him._

_ So Yi Jeong was also in the bar, and he was making out with another woman._

Second Love: Chapter 4

Yi Jeong was drunk. Very drunk. What had Ga Eul been "busy" doing with another guy? He couldn't say for sure, but that moan gave him a pretty good guess. It came as a rather shocking wake-up call. He knew he didn't have any rights to her, but he had at least thought she really felt something for him. Instead, she was just another Eun Jae.

No, that wasn't fair. Ga Eul never knew his feelings; this was essentially all his fault.

All these thoughts were making him even more confused than before. He needed to clear his brain and forget about everything for a while. And when Yi Jeong needed to "clear" his brain, his action plan always involved copious amounts of alcohol.

So here he was, completely and utterly drunk. He had partied for an hour straight, picked up some girls, then headed to a more casual bar with them. He thought he had successfully forgotten Ga – that commoner girl's name.

Until he saw her with Ji Hoo. She was smiling up at him and he was looking back at her in such a tender way that he had wanted to throw up. And when she opened her mouth, the worst words Yi Jeong thought she could ever say came out.

"You're a really good guy." And she proceeded to give him a hug. A hug! And a very tight, intimate one at that.

Yi Jeong was in a blind rage at this point. He couldn't believe he had once considered Ji Hoo as a friend! He hadn't known the quiet musician was the type to steal someone else's girl while they weren't looking!

_But she's not your girl,_ the little voice in his head told him. _What girl in her right mind would keep coming back to someone that only breaks her heart over and over again?_

"Oppa, are you alright?" one of the girls at his side purred, and he was reminded of a cougar ready to pounce. "Aw, you look so sad. Do you need a little love?" she cooed, pulling him closer. "I could – mmph…"

Yi Jeong had to lose himself before that voice in his head could taunt him any longer. _Why would she want to come back to you? She's not yours. She never will be._

He dove into the woman's open lips, frantically seeking something he knew he would never find. She moaned slightly into him, and while he would usually take that as a compliment, now he only felt disgust. He quickly broke their kiss and wiped his mouth childishly, turning away from the woman who was still panting from the intense make-out session.

He caught Ga Eul looking at him, and the look in her eyes made him feel extremely ashamed of himself. She looked so sad, so betrayed, that for a brief second he considered crossing the room and confess to her his true feelings in front of everyone. He would promise her that the kiss had meant nothing to him, that she was the only girl he could ever love.

Do you have any right? the voice whispered in his head. You know how this will end. Someone like you can never be with a girl like her. The more you like her, the more you'll end up breaking her.

Yi Jeong sighed and ran a tired hand through his hair. He knew their relationship could only end badly but he couldn't help wanting her anyways. He gave Ga Eul one last longing glance...

And found his eyes meeting up with those of Ji Hoo. He had been sitting next to Ga Eul and had noticed her staring at Yi Jeong. So Ga Eul had blown him off for Ji Hoo. The realization made him furious, and he glared murderously at the person he used to recognize as a friend. To his indignation, the other man showed no shame at being caught, but instead only anger and pity showed in his brown orbs. That look only made Yi Jeong more hurt; he thought about Jan Di and Jun Pyo and how much disturbance Ji Hoo had wreaked in their relationship. Was the musician seeking to do the same in his and Ga Eul's?

Speak of the devil, and the devil will come. The son of the bitch was walking toward him right now, one hand clasped together with Ga Eul's. Since when were they close enough to hold hands? Shoot, why were they coming closer? Did they want to talk to him? Confess their dying love to each other and rub it in his face? Yi Jeong valiantly tried to get ahold of his emotions one more time before the two reached him.

"Hello, sunbae." Ga Eul's cold voice frightened him. Her eyes were carefully guarded, revealing none of the emotions they had shown only moments before.

"Ga Eul-yang. So this was the reason why you couldn't go out to dinner with me. You could've just told me you already had a date." Yi Jeong cursed silently. He hadn't meant to say all of that. And judging by Ga Eul's expression, it hadn't been very well received. Something in her eyes flickered, and she looked about to say something when Ji Hoo beat her to it.

"Sorry, I was keeping her occupied," he smirked, stressing the word "occupied". While Yi Jeong gaped, Ji Hoo took the opportunity to slip a hand around Ga Eul's waist and pull her closer to him.

Yi Jeong's eyes narrowed at their intimate position, his brain already racing to process what he had just heard. So he hadn't been worrying over nothing after all. Ji Hoo really did like Ga Eul, and if that moan was any indication, things between them were starting to heat up.

He found himself asking in a rather detached voice, "Oh, well forgive me for intruding upon your time then. Just out of curiosity, are you two dating now?"

"Oh no!" Ga Eul exclaimed before Ji Hoo could respond. The answer calmed Yi Jeong down slightly, but only slightly. "I—Ji Hoo sunbae, we need to go. See you, Yi Jeong sunbae!" And with the swish of the doors, they were gone.

The girl beside Yi Jeong huffed a little. "How rude! They didn't even introduce themselves or acknowledge me! Oppa, please don't tell me you're friends with those people."

Yi Jeong turned to give her a blank stare. "Go."

"… what?" The girl was incredulous.

His voice turned cold. "I said go. You have no idea who those people were, or even who I am. You came because you thought we were going to have sex and you could have bragging rights to your friends about how you bagged So Yi Jeong. Well, sorry to disappoint you, I'm not interested anymore. Maybe if you head back quickly enough, you'll have time to get another bed buddy for the night. Good luck. Now leave."

The girl gave an indignant cry and left, leaving Yi Jeong with only his memories.

What was he going to do about Ga Eul?

**AN: What do you think, guys? Is this too cheesy? **

**Thanks Hosterio, ROFL, DaRaNeEz, ann-kyu and mememe for reviewing!**

**Remember to visit my website: wordalert[dot]webs[dot]com**


	5. Chapter 5

**AN: Sorry I haven't updated in a while! School homework and extracurriculars have been catching up on me, so I haven't been writing that much. As an apology, I've made this chapter extra-long! :D ****FallIntoAHellCalledLove**** and DaRaNeEz, thank you for your reviews! Please visit (and subscribe to!) wordalert[dot]webs[dot]com**

_Last time…_

_His voice turned cold. "I said go. You have no idea who those people were, or even who I am. You came because you thought we were going to have sex and you could have bragging rights to your friends about how you bagged So Yi Jeong. Well, sorry to disappoint you, I'm not interested anymore. Maybe if you head back quickly enough, you'll have time to get another bed buddy for the night. Good luck. Now leave."_

_The girl gave an indignant cry and left, leaving Yi Jeong with only his memories._

_What was he going to do about Ga Eul?_

Second Love, Chapter 5

Ji Hoo knew the stinging slap was coming before she even raised her hand to deliver it.

"How could you?" she screamed at him. "What the hell were you thinking? You made him think we - we-"

"We liked each other?" Ji Hoo finished for her. He felt something sink inside of him; did she really feel so opposed to being more than friends? "What's wrong with him thinking that?"

"Because we don't!" she raged. "There's nothing between us! I could never-" She seemed to rethink her harsh words. "Sorry sunbae, I'm not trying to say you would be a bad boyfriend; you wouldn't be. There are probably loads of girls that would want to date you, and why not? After all, you're smart, funny, considerate-" She stopped again, her cheeks reddening slightly. "What I'm trying to say is, it's not good to tell someone things that aren't true," she finished lamely.

"Why can't it be true?"

There was deadly silence. Ji Hoo looked placidly at her while she stared back.

He was slightly confused at what had transpired between them today. Ga Eul had been unbelievably understanding when he had fainted; maybe it was that that made him feel so indebted to her. But back there, he hadn't been speaking to pay back her favour. The way Yi Jeong had kissed that other girl in public and then had the guts to challenge Ga Eul on _her_ rejection of him made his blood boil. Ga Eul shouldn't be just a puppet for a man like Yi Jeong, an eternally happy housewife waiting for her fickle husband to come home. He would give her some charming words, leftovers from those he had used on other ladies that day, and he would forgive him for all his cheating ways and fall in love with him all over again. In turn, he would go out, pick up more girls and return home with the same stench of unfaithfulness. This vicious cycle would eventually break her beyond repair.

As Ji Hoo looked into the warm pools of Ga Eul's eyes, he realized he didn't want that to happen to her. He wanted her protected, cherished loved. And, he realized with a jolt, he wanted himself to be the one that did that.

The problem was he didn't know if she had any feelings for him.

It didn't matter if she didn't like him back right now. That he could deal with. But he wouldn't be able to stand it if she told him no because she still loved Yi Jeong.

Maybe it wasn't the best course of action, but to Ji Hoo it was the only one that would keep Ga Eul's heart safe.

"Ga Eul, I'm sorry about my earlier actions. I reacted selfishly and didn't think about how you would fee. The truth is, I've wanted to ask you for a favour for a while now."

She didn't understand, and her confused eyes blinked back at him. "Uh… what is it sunbae?"

"Would you do me the honour of being my girlfriend?"

Ga Eul couldn't breathe. Never in a million years had she expected this to happen. Ji Hoo sunbae had been a part of her circle of friends for a while now, but he had always been closer with Jan Di and the other F4 than with her. She knew that had Jan Di and Jun Pyo's whirlwind romance not happened, they would have never even met. As it was, they attended the same gatherings but rarely spoke. Until today, everything she had known about Ji Hoo sunbae had come from Jan Di. It was as if her best friend was the glue that held two relative strangers together; without Jan Di, she and Ji Hoo would separate and drift back to their own worlds.

And now he was asking her to be his girlfriend.

Realizing he was looking at her, Ga Eul tried stuttering out an answer. "I… uh… well… I…" That was as far as she got before her mouth stopped working.

Well. That worked out well. What was she supposed to say?

Luckily, her discomfort was soon eased as Ji Hoo explained.

"I think we have a lot in common. We both needed someone to love, and thought we had found the perfect person," here his voice broke a little, and he cleared his throat before continuing, "but it turned out that 'perfect person' would bring us nothing but pain. Now I guess we're both on 'the rebound', as Woo Bin would say. We still desperately need someone to love, but at the same time we do not want to appear to needy to the ones we do love. In a situation like this, isn't it natural for us to band together?

"We would be better together than other couples because we would understand each other's standards and limitations. We would both get what we wanted, the feeling of being cared about, while at the same time respecting the fact that each other's hearts already belong to someone else."

Ji Hoo had turned around to face the fading sunset, but now he looked at her, trying to gauge her reaction.

Ga Eul's mouth opened and closed without making a sound. She had to admit, his plan seemed to make sense. They would all be fulfilled and no painful experiences would be involved.

There was, of course, one important thing he hadn't mentioned. Jealousy. It was the motive for all of this. Although they knew their love would never be returned, they couldn't help wishing that the objects of their affection were just pretending to be uninterested, that they actually secretly loved them back. Ji Hoo didn't need to say that part of his plan out loud: Ga Eul knew it was just one of the side benefits to dating him. Who knows? Maybe Yi Jeong or Jan Di would suddenly become jealous of this new occurrence and step in. Not likely, she thought wryly, but it's still worth a shot.

She met Ji Hoo's eyes and said cheerfully, "All right then. Let's do this thing."

Yi Jeong paced the room. He was nervous as hell. What if something went wrong? No, he couldn't afford to think like that, now now.

In exactly two hours the worldwide art exhibition would begin. Artists from around the world would gather in the building and one of the biggest auctions of the century would begin. This meant human exotic masterpieces would also be present, which was usually a nice side attraction, but right now all he could think about was the same country bumpkin.

What if she didn't want him anymore, but didn't have the heart to tell him? Would she be mad at him for making her reject him in front of so many people?

He shook his head wildly, trying to dislodge scenarios of all the bad things that could happen. Two girls walked by and looked at him strangely, so he shot them a charming smile as reassurance that he wasn't crazy. Immediately, he felt bad. Even though technically he had done nothing wrong, it seemed almost as if he was betraying Ga Eul again. He tried changing his expression into a glare, but the girls were already walking away, giggling like mad, still recovering from the full-force of a smile of the cute Korean boy.

Yi Jeong sighed and glanced back at where the movers were putting the items going up for auction. One man was carrying three boxes and the smaller one on the top had begun to teeter dangerously. In a flash Yi Jeong was beside him and snatched the box before it could fall. He gave a murderous glance at the cowering worker, who paled and apologized profusely for being so careless. If that box had dropped on the ground he would have personally made sure no company in Korea ever hired the man again.

Tossing the box up and down in his free hand, he strolled to a bench overlooking the garden at the back of the building. There his serious gaze lowered onto the box. He pulled on the ribbon holding everything together, and with a slight tug, the box opened to reveal a clay lily.

Yi Jeong turned the lily around in his hands, thinking about how things had changed for him in the matter of a day. He hadn't realized how important Ga Eul was to him until she wasn't there anymore.

His plan was to profess his love for her while the clay lily was being presented as an auction item and then take it out of the auction to give to her. Any other girl would be delighted at such a display of affection, but Ga Eul wasn't "any other girl". She had loved him simply and without regret for a long time, but now seemed to be rethinking this. He had to make sure he understood that being with him didn't necessary have to be a painful and ugly thing.

He looked at his watch again. The exhibit should start in about another hour. That meant Ga Eul should be here about now. He should probably go in and check to make sure she didn't feel too uncomfortable with so many people she didn't know.

It turns out he didn't need to. Ga Eul was looking perfectly at ease talking with various people of great influence. It was highly unusual for the shy Ga Eul to be mingling with the crowd to naturally, but Yi Jeong understood when he saw who was with her.

Ji Hoo was smiling and chatting amiably, seeming perfectly at ease. Yi Jeong had heard of Jan Di and Jun Pyo's engagement and knew his friend had too, so it was disconcerting to see the quietest member of the F4 in such a good mood. In fact, Ji Hoo didn't only look like he was in a good mood; he was positively glowing! His eyes twinkled as he laughed at some joke the senator's wife made, his posture relaxed and comfortable.

And one arm slinged over Ga Eul's choulders. That arm rested snugly, sometimes shifting a bit to move up and down a little over Ga Eul's arm during the conversation.

Ga Eul either didn't notice the actions or didn't mind them. She continued carrying her conversation, blissfully unaware to Ji Hoo's assault on her shoulder.

Yi Jeong gritted her teeth. Why was Ji Hoo so bent on getting close to Ga Eul? Was he trying to use her to ease his heartbreak? And pure innocent Ga Eul had no idea… He couldn't do anything about this now, but after today, Ji Hoo would no longer have that arm and hand anywhere near Ga Eul, because she would be a taken woman. Yi Jeong just had to stop being such a pessimist and get out there and convince his girl that he loved her before someone else did the same.

As if on cue, Ga Eul paused between words to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear, and her eyes met those of Yi Jeong.

**AN: I know, I know, bad bad chapter ending. I couldn't make it even remotely cliffhanger-y this time because the next chap's probably gonna start with Ga Eul's POV and cutting that would make everything seem really weird… Also, I wasn't sure what Ga Eul's favourite flower was, so on a friend's suggestion I just made it a lily. The flower itself doesn't really have any deep meaning to the story (yet… maybe I'll get a sudden bout of inspiration and change it)**


	6. Chapter 6

**AN:**** Hey guys! Thanks for reading! (And thanks (lalala), (), and DaRaNeEz for reviewing! I love seeing that alert in my inbox telling me someone reviewed :D)**

**Also, please excuse me if you see any Japanese terminology instead of Korean. I'm neither (mando! :), so I get really mixed up between the two.**

_Last chapter…_

_Ga Eul either didn't notice the actions or didn't mind them. She continued carrying her conversation, blissfully unaware to Ji Hoo's assault on her shoulder._

_ Yi Jeong gritted her teeth. Why was Ji Hoo so bent on getting close to Ga Eul? Was he trying to use her to ease his heartbreak? And pure innocent Ga Eul had no idea… He couldn't do anything about this now, but after today, Ji Hoo would no longer have that arm and hand anywhere near Ga Eul, because she would be a taken woman. Yi Jeong just had to stop being such a pessimist and get out there and convince his girl that he loved her before someone else did the same._

_ As if on cue, Ga Eul paused between words to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear, and her eyes met those of Yi Jeong._

Second Love: Chapter 6

For a second she froze. The people at the art fair were nicer than she had thought they would be, and she had been quite at ease. So at ease, in fact, that she had completely forgotten why she was here and who had requested she attend.

Yi Jeong. Why did she always end up somewhere close to him? After she had agreed to become Ji Hoo's girlfriend, it was like all of her had given a huge sigh in the expectation of finally creating some distance between her and Yi Jeong. She had promised herself that she wouldn't pine for what she couldn't have any longer, not only because it would hurt her, but because it would hurt Ji Hoo as well.

So how did she end up here? How did she manage to break her promise so easily? She had been so prepped up on what she had to do that when the opportunity actually came it totally took her by surprise.

They had met after school ended, when she came to find Jan Di so they could go on their shopping trip. He was waiting on Jun Pyo so it was only natural they struck up a conversation while the two lovebirds were god-knows-where doing god-knows-what. Their conversation had started out normal - before he dropped the bombshell. "Will you come to my art exhibition?" he had asked in that same casual careless tone he always used with her, reminding her that he didn't really care if she came or not. That should've been her cue to tell him she wasn't going to chase him anymore, that she had in fact already acquired a boyfriend of her own. But of course, her being her usual flustered self in front of Yi Jeong, she only managed to stammer out a quick "Hai".

She had had to confess everything to Ji Hoo; after all, given their current relationship status, it was only right. He had been very understanding about the whole thing and even offered to accompany her.

"We can just consider it one of our first dates," he told her and smiled, which made her go warm and tingly all over.

So there she was, talking with a bunch of rich people and snuggling up to Ji Hoo. Everything felt so right, so perfect. Her world finally seemed to be relaxing, allowing itself to _breathe_.

Then she saw him across the room. And her world shattered again.

Ga Eul felt a reassuring squeeze on her hand, and loosened ever so slightly. Ji Hoo was there with her. He was lending her his strength. She couldn't act like a baby any longer. She had to face what she had to do.

But that didn't mean she had to do it alone. Ga Eul looked up at Ji Hoo and felt reassured by his presence. He would back her up if he needed to.

She once again met Yi Jeong's eyes, this time with a determined look. No more hiding. No more confusion. It was time to end this now.

"Hello, Yi Jeong sunbae," she smiled cordially, the smile not quite managing to reach her eyes.

Yi Jeong didn't seem to notice, and grinned brightly. A bit too brightly. "I'm so glad you're here, Ga Eul! You too, J Hoo," he added dismissively, already seeming to forget he was there.

"Ga Eul! Ji Hoo! Yi Jeong!" They all turned to see a happy Jan Di and Jun Pyo running at them, hand in hand. Ga Eul looked up quickly at Ji Hoo to gauge his reaction; he had no emotion whatsoever on his face. She hoped he was okay. She couldn't help but feel angry at her best friend. She had obviously known about Ji Hoo's feelings towards her, yet she had still accepted Jun Pyo's proposal without so much of a thought of Ji Hoo. She would be the first one to agree that Jan Di deserved happiness, but she couldn't be so blinded that she no longer cared about her friends' feelings. Ji Hoo was always been there for Jan Di when she needed it; why couldn't Jan Di returned the favour?

"Jan Di," Ga Eul returned, her voice adapting a cool tone. Jan Di looked taken aback, then guilty, knowing exactly what was going on in her friend's head. "Congratulations on the engagement."

"Th-thanks," Jan Di responded a little shakily, not quite knowing what to do under Ga Eul's stern glare. She had never seen her friend angry before; Ga Eul had always been the type of girl to be broken, sad, and in depression, but never angry. It was a scary thing, an angry Ga Eul.

"Well then, now that we're all together—" Ji Hoo was interrupted as a new voice cut through the room.

"Yo yo yo, don't forget about me, my bros!"

Everyone turned around (again) as the owner of the voice strode up to them. Song Woo Bin wore the grin of a child on Christmas Day as he patted Jun Pyo on the head (ignoring the threatening growl that emanated from underneath his hand) and declared with a tone of finality, "Well, our leader's officially whipped now." Jun Pyo attempted to grab Woo Bin the neck and strangle him, but Jan Di stopped him with a punch to the face and the cry "stupid idiot!"

Woo Bin simply laughed and shook his head as he repeated, "Yep, he's whipped."

"Well the," Ji Hoo started again, "G—"

"What the hell?" Jun Pyo complained. "Let go of me Jan Di – let me at him!"

"No way in hell! I can't believe you're still being so immature when we're already about to get married!"

"I'll be as immature as I want to, you—"

"Shut the hell up!" Ji Hoo roared, effectively silencing everyone, who simply stared at him, dumbfounded.

"Man, did you just—" Woo Bin broke off when Ji Hoo's eye twitched. "Got it, shutting up," he mumbled.

"So I was saying," Ji Hoo paused silently, as if waiting for someone to interrupt again. When no one did, he continued. "As I was saying, Ga Eul and I have an important announcement to make." He paused again, looked down at Ga Eul and smiled encouragingly. She gulped, knowing that he wanted her to be the one who announced it to everyone.

She looked around at everyone's faces. Jan Di and Jun Pyo were staring back blankly. Woo Bin had his lips pursed a serious expression on his face.

Out of all the F4, Ga Eul had grown especially close to Woo Bin. Jan Di and Jun Pyo were always away together, she had always thought Ji Hoo was too quiet to have a full-fledged conversation with, and Yi Jeong… well it was best not to even get on that topic. That left only Woo Bin, which was fine because the Don Juan more than made up for any lack of conversation material the others were. The fact that he was Yi Jeong's best friend only gave him more points in Ga Eul's book. They hit off immediately, and Woo Bin was always around to give Ga Eul counsel about Yi Jeong. His favourite thing to say had always been, "Don't give up on him, Ga Eul. Yi Jeong's a stubborn person, but he will come around. Just keep loving him and waiting for him. It won't be in vain."

I'm sorry sunbae, Ga Eul told Woo Bin with her eyes as he looked unhappily back. I tried waiting for him, I really did. But I'm not sure I have as much faith in him as you do anymore, sunbae. Maybe we just aren't meant to be. As if he understood, but no agreed, Woo Bin gave an almost imperceptible nod before looking away.

Ga Eul turned to look at Yi jeong. His face was filled with confusion, but also a streak of knowledge. His eyes seemed to be pleading with her, begging her not to say what he thought she was going to say.

Sorry sunbae, she silently said to him as well. I can't afford to keep waiting for you. Ji Hoo's given me a once-in-a-lifetime chance and I'm too lonely and desperate to go without it.

With that last thought in mind, Ga Eul finally spoke aloud. "Ji Hoo and I are dating."

Shocked silence followed her announcement, and then Jun Pyo broke it.

"What the fuck? Ow!" Jan Di had given him another spinning kick to the head.

Jan Di smiled slightly before addressing both of them. "Congratulations!" She seemed slightly confused as to Ji Hoo's sudden change of heart (she had always thought he still harboured feelings towards her) but also slightly relieved. Now she no longer had any guilt keeping her from a happy ending with Jun Pyo! Though admittedly, she also felt an unwelcome sensation that could only be labelled as jealousy… it was hard letting go of your first love, even when you already had the love of your life by your side… she quickly brushed that train of thought away; Ji Hoo was Ga Eul's guy now, so she had no business thinking those thoughts.

When had this romance started though? She wondered. Granted, she hadn't spent much time with Ga Eul recently, but wasn't she still her best friend? How was it that she didn't even have a clue on who her best friend was really interested in until they made an official announcement? The feelings of guilt that had dissipated just moments before now returned with a vengeance as she realized how quickly and thoughtlessly she had abandoned her friend. Jun Pyo had kept her so occupied she hadn't even realized Ga Eul had become interested in another one of the F4!

Speaking of the F4, how was Yi Jeong taking this news? It didn't matter, Jan Di decided, not even bothering to look his way. That bastard had kept playing hot and cold with Ga Eul; it had been only a matter of time before she came to her senses and dumped him for the trash he was.

**AN:**** Yes, I added Woo Bin in here! I had initially been debating whether to make this a Woo Bin X Ga Eul fanfic instead of Ji Hoo X Ga Eul X Yi Jeong, but the latter won out. So in this fanfic Woo Bin will be MOST LIKELY just a friend…**

**Please review! I usually like to update quicker when there are reviews :)**


	7. Chapter 7

**AN: maru (thanks for the commentary, even though I'm not exactly sure what it means… tried Google translate but that didn't work out so well), wanda, lalala, DaRaNeEz, xxrach97, SaraSyco, Lalala (are you the same person as lalal? Not sure :/), thank you all for the awesome reviews lately! I love it when you guys give feedback; it makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside **

_Last time…_

_Jan Di smiled slightly before addressing both of them. "Congratulations!" She seemed slightly confused as to Ji Hoo's sudden change of heart (she had always thought he still harboured feelings towards her) but also slightly relieved. Now she no longer had any guilt keeping her from a happy ending with Jun Pyo! Though admittedly, she also felt an unwelcome sensation that could only be labelled as jealousy… it was hard letting go of your first love, even when you already had the love of your life by your side… she quickly brushed that train of thought away; Ji Hoo was Ga Eul's guy now, so she had no business thinking those thoughts._

_ When had this romance started though? She wondered. Granted, she hadn't spent much time with Ga Eul recently, but wasn't she still her best friend? How was it that she didn't even have a clue on who her best friend was really interested in until they made an official announcement? The feelings of guilt that had dissipated just moments before now returned with a vengeance as she realized how quickly and thoughtlessly she had abandoned her friend. Jun Pyo had kept her so occupied she hadn't even realized Ga Eul had become interested in another one of the F4!_

_ Speaking of the F4, how was Yi Jeong taking this news? It didn't matter, Jan Di decided, not even bothering to look his way. That bastard had kept playing hot and cold with Ga Eul; it had been only a matter of time before she came to her senses and dumped him for the trash he was._

Second Love: Chapter 7

He was Yi Jeong. So Yi Jeong. The one to inherit the biggest art galleries in all of Korea.

All that seemed like empty words. Who was he really? Just a name?

What was in a name? What good was his name if it didn't get him what he wanted?

All his life, Yi Jeong had never been in want of anything materialistic. He was always in possession of the best of the best, except of course, anything that belonged to Jun Pyo. That was essentially why he joined the F4, because of the overwhelming curiosity of how it was possible one boy could have something he didn't. Not jealousy, for he had never been jealous before; simply curiosity.

As the saying goes, there's a first time for everything. Whatever his old feelings were, Yi Jeong was certainly jealous now. The pure, unbridled jealousy ripple through his veins, and he felt as if he were drowning.

_You're so stupid_, the voice in his head chided. _Ga Eul may be a patient girl, but she's not a saint. You couldn't have expected her to wait for you forever, especially considering the way you've been treating her._

"Sunbae?" Ga Eul's hesitant voice pierced through the shroud of gloom wrapped around his brain and he glanced at her with the look of a deer in headlights.

"I – I need to make sure the preparations are ready." For the first time in his life, he stuttered while talking to a girl, but everyone was still too shocked from the recent revelation to document it. Before anyone could so much as move, Yi Jeong had already bolted away.

Ga Eul made to chase after him, but Woo Bin held her back. He did not say anything but she understood. She probably was not the person he wanted to see right now. She fell limp and resumed her place beside Ji Hoo, her mind swirling with possibilities.

What was his reaction for? He had made it quite clear many times before that he wasn't interested in her as anything more than a friend, and maybe not even that. So what was with the horrified expression? Could it possibly be… that he was disgusted with her? That made more sense; what type of girl would go from being obsessed with one guy one day to dating another the next? With a dawning of that realization, Ga Eul felt a heavy weight settle in the pit of her stomach. No matter what he had thought of her before, she knew for sure what he thought of her now; a superficial, clingy, worthless slut.

Was there really any harm down, though? she wondered. This last blow to their relationship was irreparable, but had there really been anything left for it to destroy anyway?

Maybe it was better this way, she mused, twirling a long strand of raven hair. She had lost her last chance at getting her soul mate, but Ji Hoo had yet to lose his. Maybe Jan Di would be willing to come back to him now that there was some competition, and even if she was not, she certainly did not mind being his back-up girl. It was not as if she was not used to that anyway; she had had plenty of practice with Yi Jeong.

Yes, this was all for the better, she decided, releasing the strand and letting it swing back into place with the rest of her hair. She would forget about Yi Jeong and act the part of girlfriend for Ji Hoo until Jan Di came back to him. What she would do after that happened, she would decide later. For now, she would just enjoy the happy bliss of having a boyfriend, no matter his ulterior motives.

**AN: Sorry that this chapter's a little bit short… I'm kind of experimenting with the idea chapter length… any suggestions?**

**Just a heads-up, I might be changing things up a bit! So anticipate the entrance of a new character! *cackles***


	8. Chapter 8

**AN: Aaah I'm so sorry for not updating for so long! I got this inspiration for this new story and have been working non-stop on that for a while. Which is why this chapter's a bit short. And has a crappy ending. I already have part of the other chapter written out, but won't have a chance to finish it for a while, so I figured I might as well give you guys what I've had a chance to do. Thanks again for the wonderful reviews from Aba, cess7xio, lalala, xxrach97, DaRaNeEz and maru! Enjoy!**

**(I also just realized that my changes in POVs were never posted by the website… -_-' anyways, I've changed the way I marked the POVs this chapter so hopefully now they'll show up)**

_Last time…_

_Was there really any harm down, though? she wondered. This last blow to their relationship was irreparable, but had there really been anything left for it to destroy anyway?_

_ Maybe it was better this way, she mused, twirling a long strand of raven hair. She had lost her last chance at getting her soul mate, but Ji Hoo had yet to lose his. Maybe Jan Di would be willing to come back to him now that there was some competition, and even if she was not, she certainly did not mind being his back-up girl. It was not as if she was not used to that anyway; she had had plenty of practice with Yi Jeong._

_ Yes, this was all for the better, she decided, releasing the strand and letting it swing back into place with the rest of her hair. She would forget about Yi Jeong and act the part of girlfriend for Ji Hoo until Jan Di came back to him. What she would do after that happened, she would decide later. For now, she would just enjoy the happy bliss of having a boyfriend, no matter his ulterior motives._

Second Love, Chapter 8

Watching rather detachedly the scene playing out before him, The Man let none of the emotions he was feeling show in his eyes.

That girl was such a conniving little bitch. She made herself out to be all innocent and shit, but really, she was on about the same level as the prostitutes that his father hung out with and brought home from time to time. She played the role of a girl infatuated with Prince Charming, but once she had him hooked, she lost interest and went to find another person to play with.

He had tried to be nice. He had warned her. Given her the chance to turn back and repent. She hadn't even seemed to consider it, so now he had no choice but to do what he should've done in the beginning.

Chu Ga Eul was a loose end. And loose ends had to be tied up and eliminated.

**Change in POV**

Ji Hoo smiled at Ga Eul while secretly keeping tabs on Yi Jeong all the while. He was so relieved that things had gone as smoothly as they did; maybe Yi Jeong really hadn't cared about Ga Eul that much after all.

His last expression before bolting did cause some concern though. Yi Jeong had never been one to show his emotions through his eyes, so Ji Hoo had no idea how to read whatever had been in them this time. He could make an educated guess and say it was jealousy though.

"Could I have your attention please. The auction will now begin. The first items is a personal collection vase by artist Lee Hoon." A woman's voice rang through the room like a bell. Ji Hoo looked up and sighed. It was such a shame that even the best art exhibition had sunken to such levels. The woman, more of a girl really, was wearing a new Woosung Hyun dress that left nothing to the imagination. The dress would be auctioned off as the grand finale, and the girl had obviously been told that she would be the one modeling the dress and would consequently get the chance to make it big in practically every fashion industry in the world. But Ji Hoo knew Woosung: his models went with his dresses. The girl would also secretly be auctioned off today; it's just that everyone was in on the secret but her.

He was pulled out of his musings by an impatient tug on her hand. "Sunbae, let's go! We're going to miss it!"

That's right. The girl on stage was not the only naïve one in the room; his Ga Eul - whoa, he already thought of her as his Ga Eul? This was dangerous – he knew he liked her more than Jan Di, but getting too possessive too fast wouldn't be good for either of them. For one thing, he might scare her away and she would be unwilling to continue their make-Jan-Di-and-Yi-Jeong-jealous-by-dating-each-other relationship. And he could definitely not let that happen.

He looked down at the girl that had become his life and nodded. "Okay, let's go. Just one thing… shouldn't you call me oppa instead of sunbae now?" He smiled in amusement at her suddenly red cheeks, and she nodded meekly.

"A-ah, okay, op-oppa."

The auction was the usual for Ji Hoo, but it definitely wasn't for Ga Eul, who stared in wide-eyed shock and horror as some pieces were solf for more than 60 000 000 won respectively. How could these people bear to use so much money at once? This was more than her parents would make in a lifetime!

When at last the Woosung Hyun dress was sold to a sleazy-looking old man, Ji Hoo breathed a sigh. These sights never used to bother him, but now with Ga Eul at his side, he suddenly felt ashamed. The rich complained about being forced to breathe the same air as people of the coarse, mean, and rude lower class, but in reality the deceit and treachery that lay in their layer far surpassed whatever crude practices their poorer cousins had. They were really just a bunch of nicely dressed ruffians.

Ga Eul's gasp (the hundredth that day) made him sigh and look down. "Ga Eul, the auction's already over. What are you surprised about now?" She didn't answer, but simply pointed.

Ji Hoo turned around just in time to see Yi Jeong stride up to the auction podium and whisper something in the young girl's ear. She nodded and gave the stage over to him.

Yi Jeong cleared his throat and looked around at everyone before giving a small shy smile that made the entire female part of the audience, young of old, married or not, give a sigh of wonderment.

"As you might have heard," he started off, "my name is Song Yi Jeong. Some of my pieces were auctioned off today, and I would like to thank everyone for their generosity this year. I'm very glad my pieces were so well-received and I hope to make greater future contributions to the national art world."

Following this little speech, there was thunderous applause and people murmured amongst themselves. "He's a piece of art himself!" a mother whispered to her daughter, who blushed madly while also nodding furiously. Then Yi Jeong started to speak again.

"As an artist, I find it important to combine both passion and skill, and it is something that has led into my personal life as well. As a result, I've lent quite a lot of passion to my romantic pursuits as well." At this, at least half of the girls fainted with nosebleeds, and the rest started chattering excitedly.

"Unfortunately, despite my passion for romance, I never managed to stick with one relationship for too long. You see, I never really believed in things such as marriage and soulmates; my picture of love had always been a spark that would ignite into something beautiful but short-lived. My belief had always been that lovers should part ways before the last of the fireworks died, so that they would be left with the memory of the magnificent display of light instead of the all-consuming darkness that is sure to follow it."

By now, the room had fallen silent. Ga Eul stared at Yi Jeong, feeling slightly empty. So the curtains have finally closed, she thought. "I'm going to the restroom," she murmured softly to Ji Hoo, and slipped away. She just needed a few moments by herself to get rid of all this baggage, and then she would continue on with her life. Yi Jeong had actually made things considerably easier by cutting things off in the brusque way that seemed to be his specialty.


	9. Chapter 9

**AN: So I took a bit of time a few days ago to re-read this fanfic, and man, none of my previous chapters made much sense -.- I'm amazed you guys could read through all those inconsistencies! Thanks so much for all your support! Maybe when I finish with this fic I could go back and re-edit some of those nasty screwed up scenes…**

**Thanks "lalala" and "a fan"! I try to update faster **

"**GalanthaDreams": won't spoil everything by telling you who the Man is now And thanks for all the positive encouraging! Really appreciate it.**

"**hi": Thanks for commenting! I'm glad you like the plot; I was going for a more humorous approach at the beginning, but then it kind of slithered off into this romantic slushy thing :S Haha yay finally someone who's seen my profile page! 3 I basically just don't like Hinamori; I find her too overbearing and way too obsessive about Aizen. My best friend and I have this like ongoing war about who Hitsugaya should be with :P I'm guessing you're a hitsuhina fan? Sorry if I offended :P**

"**daisukey": Yay! Fellow Canadian! Canadians FTW ;) I try to make up for my short chapters by updating faster. That hasn't worked out so well so far, but still trying XD**

**Enjoy this new chapter guys, and thanks again for reviewing!**

_Last chapter…_

"_As an artist, I find it important to combine both passion and skill, and it is something that has led into my personal life as well. As a result, I've lent quite a lot of passion to my romantic pursuits as well." At this, at least half of the girls fainted with nosebleeds, and the rest started chattering excitedly._

"_Unfortunately, despite my passion for romance, I never managed to stick with one relationship for too long. You see, I never really believed in things such as marriage and soulmates; my picture of love had always been a spark that would ignite into something beautiful but short-lived. My belief had always been that lovers should part ways before the last of the fireworks died, so that they would be left with the memory of the magnificent display of light instead of the all-consuming darkness that is sure to follow it."_

_By now, the room had fallen silent. Ga Eul stared at Yi Jeong, feeling slightly empty. So the curtains have finally closed, she thought. "I'm going to the restroom," she murmured softly to Ji Hoo, and slipped away. She just needed a few moments by herself to get rid of all this baggage, and then she would continue on with her life. Yi Jeong had actually made things considerably easier by cutting things off in the brusque way that seemed to be his specialty._

Second Love, Chapter 9

Yi Jeong fixed his eyes on every girl he could find, purposely avoiding a certain someone who he knew must be in the crowd. He didn't want to see her face when he said the last part of his speech, didn't want to see the look of pity. So he plowed on, ignoring her completely.

"That's what I used to think. What I used to believe.

"Before I met her.

"She was the new light to my world, a world I didn't know was dark until she brightened it up. She gave me a chance at what I never knew existed. She gave me the chance to live.

"And I messed it up.

"She had none of the qualities I usually looked for in a girl, and because of that I foolishly drove her away, not realizing it was the worst mistake of my life until it was too late.

"She's found someone else now, and I've got to live with the consequences of my actions. Not a day goes by where I don't think about what could have been, should have been, but wasn't."

Yi Jeong held up the small package, delicately balancing it in the palm of his hand. "I made this piece while reminiscing on our times together." One long finger reached up and loosened the binds that held the box together, revealing a lonesome flower that somehow managed to remain snow white and reflect all the colours of the rainbow at the same time. The crowd oohed and aahed like there was no tomorrow.

"This lily had originally been a present, a surprise for that girl I loved. I was a plain fool not to cherish what I had until it was too late. It is my dearest wish that none of you make the same mistake. That's why I have decided to auction off this piece as my newest contribution. I hope this is just as well received as my other pieces, and that it becomes a symbol of love between any gentleman who loves their lady friend as much as a person who appreciates beauty loves a flower eternally in bloom." At this, the spectators broke into thundering applause.

Yi Jeong smiled, a smile that all females in the audience found to be different from his usual dashing smirk, but devastating all the same. If Ga Eul had been watching at that moment, she would've done a double take because the only time Yi Jeong's smile looked anything close to what it did now was when _. But Ga Eul was not present at the time Yi Jeong's strangely genuine smile graced the room. It wasn't until the latter had exited the stage and the auction had begun than the country bumpkin this whole mess was about once again entered the room.

In fact, Ga Eul came in just in time to see all the male hands in the room shoot up, shouting prices, with their female partners propping the hands up and cheering them on.

"What's going on?" she asked Ji Hoo, who was staring intensely at the stage.

"Oh, they're auctioning off this eternal flower for guys to present to their girlfriends. It's really hitting it off." Ji Hoo told her nonchalantly. With that explanation, he calmly raised his hand and announced, "100 000 000 won."

Ga Eul's reaction was priceless. "Who are you buying it for?"

Ji Hoo was amused. "the girl I'm dating."

"Who's that?" When it finally registered, she started jumping up and down. "No sunbae, you musn't!"

"Of course I must," he said, all the more amused. "You're my girlfriend now, and I insist on treating you well. 200 000 000 won!"

'You can treat me well without buying me some random flower that costs more than three of my checkbooks!" Ga Eul protested, furiously ignoring the blush that was already starting to taint her cheeks.

"Nonsense. Besides look; Jun Pyo's doing it too. 300 000 000 won!"

"Ga Eul looked around and saw Jun Pyo shouting prices up at the stage and Jan Di furiously raining blows up at him. One of them connected with his head and the heir slumped down, unconscious. "Not anymore," she winced, knowing Jun Pyo was sure to sport a bump on his million-on hairstyle tomorrow. Jan Di looked up and shouted something to Ga Eul, but amongst the clamor, her voice was lost. To soothe her friend, Ga Eul simply nodded.

Eventually, only two people remained; Ji Hoo and an anonymous caller on the phone. As the prices rose into the 12 digits, Ga Eul became more and more nervous. WAsn't Ji Hoo taking this relationship a lot more seriously than he should? Then again, maybe she just wasn't taking this seriously enough? But still, no need to pay so much for a false relationship!

At last she couldn't stand it anymore. "Ji Hoo, no!" She tried to drag his hand down, but the violinist was a lot stronger than he looked. Even as she was straining to bring that lithe arm down, he was still calming telling the auctioneer outrageous prices. When the two auctionees started to get to yet another spiking digit, she tackled him to the ground, and before his mouth could utter another goddamn price, she covered it with her own. Ji Hoo's eyes widened. Nothing else came out of that mouth.

The auctioneer grinned widely as she counted down. "Going once, going twice, going three times, SOLD!"

Ga Eul stood up, panting. She could not believe she just did that. She looked down at Ji Hoo to find him smiling a bit stupidly up at her. "Sorry," she said meekly.

"Don't worry about it," he told her, sounding slightly disoriented. You can do that as much as you want." This announcement made her cheeks burn up again.

"And the eternal flower made by our beloved boy potter goes to the anonymous caller on the phone! Thank you everyone for bidding!" The girl onstage practically sang the words out as she gave the couple a very non-conspiracy wink.

**AN: I know, I know, I kind of made Ga Eul (and Ji Hoo) really out of character in this chapter. It's just that I couldn't get any action into it otherwise, you know? Yipes, gotta try to get those personalities back on track. Just so you guys know, the next chapter's probably still gonna have Ji Hoo a bit out of character. But after that I think I should be able to steer things back. ("I think" being the operative words .)**


	10. Chapter 10

**AN: Sorry for being MIA for the past few… months? Oh geesh, I'm really such a bad person. Sorry; things have been hectic. Enjoy the update!**

_Last chapter…_

_Ga Eul stood up, panting. She could not believe she just did that. She looked down at Ji Hoo to find him smiling a bit stupidly up at her. "Sorry," she said meekly._

_ "Don't worry about it," he told her, sounding slightly disoriented. You can do that as much as you want." This announcement made her cheeks burn up again._

_ "And the eternal flower made by our beloved boy potter goes to the anonymous caller on the phone! Thank you everyone for bidding!" The girl onstage practically sang the words out as she gave the couple a very non-conspiracy wink._

Second Love, Chapter 10

The Man was madder than mad. What a disgusting public display of affection. How inconsiderate could that little ingrate be? Yi Jeong had just poured his heart out in front of everyone, and in response that little slut just grinded down the pieces of his broken heart! That slimy piece of shit really didn't deserve to live!

Luckily this would all be over soon. If all went according to plan, Chu Ga Eul wouldn't be able to cause heartbreak for much longer.

**~!#$%^&*()_+_)(*&^%$#!~!#$%^&*())(*&^%$#!~!#$%^&*())(*&^%$#~!#$%^&*()(*&^%$#!**

Yi Jeong drank. A lot. It was true that they had already announced their relationship, but really? Kissing him in front of everyone? Wasn't that just pouring salt over an open wound?

What a day, he though bitterly. I thought it was just because Ga Eul didn't know I had any wounds in the first place, because I hadn't told her. Now it's pretty clear she doesn't care enough anymore. And it's all because I waited too long. Man, I'm such a fuck-up.

The door to the studio opened gently, and Yi Jeong looked up. Ji Hoo stood in the doorway.

The potter sighed. He really wasn't in the mood… for apologies _or_ pep talks. "Hey dude. Wassup?" he slurred. "Here for some beer or some company? 'Cause I'm not offering either today, sorry. Store's closed, haha…" he doubled over laughing, then had to sit back up when his vision started to get disoriented. Man, how many bottles had he drank? Five? Ten? Yeah, he thought it was about ten… or double that…

"That's okay, 'cause I'm not looking for the beer… or the company." Yi Jeong looked up from his bottle in surprise. "I just came to return something." From his inside pocket, Ji Hoo drew a small package. Yi Jeong's eyes widened.

"Is that – But you didn't get it…"

Ji Hoo's lips twitched. "Jun Pyo's not the only one who can bid by telephone." He tugged the string and Yi Jeong's eyes took in the lily he had created.

Ji Hoo took a step forward, as if offering the flower back to its original owner. Yi Jeong's trembling hand reached toward it, then stopped. "Why are you giving it back to me? I meant what I said."

"And I mean this." Ji Hoo stepped forward, still holding the flower out. "You need to stop hurting Ga Eul." With a force Yi Jeong didn't know he had, Ji Hoo threw the vase on the ground and it hit with a deafening crack.

Yi Jeong just stared in shocked silence. When he finally regained the ability of speech, he tried to understand what was going on. "I don't understand—"

"Listen here," Ji Hoo interrupted. "We've been friends for a long time and I've never asked anything of you. Now I am, and I hope you'll listen to me.

"I need you to stop bothering Ga Eul. Isn't it enough that you steppe don her feelings for so long already? She finally tried to sort out that tangle of hurt you've left her in, and you want to step in again and mess with her some more? Don't think I'm just going to stand around and let you guilt trip her like that. Today's performance better not repeat itself. Ga Eul deserves better than a playboy, so you can keep your cold clay flowers to yourself."

Once again, Yi Jeong found himself stunned. He'd never seen these types of heated words come out of Ji Hoo's mouth before, and truth be told, it was slightly frightening to see him transform into a seemingly different person. "Look, I—"

"You look! Look nice and hard into my eyes, Yi Jeong. That was your warning. You'd better leave Ga Eul alone, or next time I'm not going to hold back." He turned to leave, then stopped at the threshold of the studio. "Give up, Yi Jeong," he said tiredly, all the anger seeming to dissipate off his body. "She'll never come back to you. "Just accept it and move on."

Yi Jeong stood there for a long time after Ji Hoo left, numb to the bone. Eventually he dropped to his knees, head in his hands, before finally collapsing on the floor, reaching blindly around for a source of comfort, preferable another beer bottle.

Ji Hoo was right. When he had gotten on that stage, giving Ga Eul away to another man had been the last thing on his mind. No matter how noble he pretended to be (and sometimes even wanted to be), the truth was that So Yi Jeong never played fair and in the game of love it was no different. Even while he had been trying to come to terms with the fact that Ga Eul belonged to someone else now, his other side had already been formulating a plain, secretly trying to get Ga Eul to feel guilty with his final speech. He thought that if Ga Eul heard him speak his true feelings aloud, she would feel guilty for abandoning him and come running back into his arms.

And for a while there, it had looked like it was working. He hadn't dared look at Ga Eul but he did hear ji Hoo's voice clearly bidding some pretty competitive prices, even managing to surpass those of Jun Pyo. Was it too far-fetched to guess that Ga Eul was egging him on, wanting Yi Jeong's flower for herself?

Yes it was. Ga Eul was many things, but a beggar she was not. His heart had split in half once he hard her protesting with Ji Hoo, but it had crumbled to pieces when he finally risked a peek at the couple when Ji Hoo's voice was suddenly cut off. Bad risk to take.

Yi Jeong shut his eyes in pain. He didn't want to remember what he saw then.

Ga Eul and Ji Hoo making out on the ground, with Ga Eul holding on as if her life depended on it.

What does he have that I don't? he screamed silently. The answer came to him almost instantaneously.

Trust. Faithfulness. A heart.

"I do have a heart," he whispered into the darkness. "I just didn't know until it was already broken."

His groping hand felt something cool and smooth, and he grabbed at it, eager to drown his sorrows with the best friend he could remember for a long long time. But when he pressed his lips against it, he realized it wasn't a bottle of beer. It was the lily he had made for Ga Eul.

The flower had rolled under the table, but instead of smashing like Ji Hoo had intended, the clay piece was unblemished. Yi Jeong slowly took it into his trembling hands as the memory overtook him.

He had just drove from his father's pottery studio, and spied Ga Eul staggering down the sidewalk. He watched, completely mystified as she finally dropped down on the steps, face lowered. Still in a bad mood from seeing his father's fourth girlfriend that year, he really didn't want to stop to see another problem, but felt almost obliged to.

He scratched his head tiredly. "Stop the car," he ordered, and stepped out to meet her. Sniffling repeatedly, she didn't even notice he was there until he began talking.

"Aren't you past the age of crying in the middle of the street?"

She looked at him almost curiously. He smirked.

"Women, you know, sometimes think they look pretty when they cry. But it's really not true." He expected the quirky comment to start a torrent of words that would explain why she was crying. Instead, she simply started sobbing.

He smiled at her childishness. "Miss Ga Eul." She only sobbed harder.

Not knowing what to do now, he nervously looked around. "Miss Ga Eul." She practically wailed in response.

The passerby looked at him in disgust, and he frantically shook his hands and gave a little sheepish smile. "It's not me," he tried to explain. "It's not me." No one stopped to listen.

A little worried about his image now, he once again tried to coax her to a stop. "Miss Ga Eul!" She didn't listen. "Miss Ga Eul!" He put his hands together and resorted to begging. "Please! Miss Ga Eul!"

Eventually they had made it back to the workshop. He brought out a clay bowl. "It looks really weak, doesn't it?" She just looked at him, not understanding.

Giving a smile, he poured the tea out into both their cups, then dropped it. She gasped, making him smile again. "But it's stronger than it looks."

"How long do you think it took to become like this?

"Turned upside down, stepped on, cut over and over again, and it needs to withstand 1300 degrees of heat.

"That's not the end.

"And when you go through all that and it still can't be yours, you need to completely give it up. Like this.

He got up and picked the bowl up, wrapping it in a cloth. He then took a hammer and smashed on it. She covered her eyes. When he took the cloth back up, the bowl was smashed to pieces. Her wide eyes took in the smashed pieces. He turned back to her.

"What I'm saying is that in order to become strong, and to find what truly belongs to you, there will be a process you must overcome. Just like what you've gone through today."

A beginning of what might have been a smile started to form on her face. "I think I understand what you're saying… Thank you."

"Then shall we slowly get going?"

**AN: The ending could be better… but I'm kind of going through a writer's block right now. Will hopefully update soon. Thanks for all the support, guys!**


	11. Chapter 11

**AN: Hey guys! I know I've been gone for a crazy long time, and half of you probably thought this fic was dead, so here's an extra-long chapter to make it up to you guys… hopefully? :'D **

_Last chapter…_

"What I'm saying is that in order to become strong, and to find what truly belongs to you, there will be a process you must overcome. Just like what you've gone through today."

A beginning of what might have been a smile started to form on her face. "I think I understand what you're saying… Thank you."

"Then shall we slowly get going?"

_Second Love, Chapter 11_

Yi Jeong gripped the clay flower as if it were his lifeline. In a way it was. It was his only link to Ga Eul now, and he had come to realize that Ga Eul was the only thing that held meaning in his life.

She had gone through hell and back with him all these years, and she had finally decided it was time to give him up completely.

But that didn't mean he needed to give up on her.

**~! #$%^&*()~! #$%^&*())(*&^%$# !~~! #$%^&*())(*&^%$# !~~! #$%^&***

Ga Eul rubbed the sleep out of her eyes and slowly sat up. Her head was still pounding, but there was no time for sleep now. She was scheduled to meet Ji Hoo in a few hours.

They had been dating for a few weeks now, and things had been going… well…

Flawlessly well.

She really couldn't use a negative word to describe it. Ji Hoo had been nothing if not a romantic, thoughtful, perfect boyfriend. He always made time for her whenever she wanted to talk, and was always understanding when she needed to cancel plans. He was never overly prying, but always seemed to know just the right thing to do to cheer her up whenever she was down. In short, Ga Eul found herself living her very own fairy tail, enjoying the attentions of a prince charming she had dreamed about ever since she was a little girl.

So why did it still feel like there was something missing?

The silent musings about _him_ were coming back now, and she immediately closed her eyes to shut them out, but in vain. The flow was coming too fast; breaking the dam she had constructed to keep the memories out. She watched as the dam exploded into glittering crystals behind her clenched eyelids and the surge of all things related to _him_ flooded back.

He had been everything Ji Hoo wasn't; impulsive, hands-on, frivolous, selfish. He had a protective shell around him a mile wide that wouldn't hesitate to electrocute anyone who dared try and find the real him. Ga Eul had always thought she would be the one to finally get through those defenses and descover the true So Yi Jeong. His barriers had zapped her so many times she had lost count, but she kept stubbornly going back to them, convinced her feelings for him would overcome the searing burns she received every time he rejected her.

She had overestimated herself.

Ga Eul held her head in her hands now, quivering with the sobs she had kept in.

She remembered that Valentine's Day, when she was making him chocolates. She had spent hours debating on what type of filling to put inside the tiny squares of goodness. She knew now that whatever she put inside wouldn't have mattered, because he didn't care, but back then, the question had been all-important to a lovesick girl.

So what filling? Caramel? Cream? Or something more complicated? None of the choices had seemed to suit the feelings she was trying to express.

For it hadn't been Yi Jeong's mask of charm that had drawn Ga Eul to him, although that mask was hard to resist sometimes as well. It had been the turbulent mystery of emotions underneath those carefully guarded emotions. Throughout the years, Yi Jeong had given Ga Eul occasional glances into that inner mystery. They were brief looks only: his barriers shot up as soon as they realized they had come down and betrayed their master's secrets. But every look she had managed to sneak made Ga Eul all the more drawn in; she hadn't fallen in love with the superficial playboy, but the vulnerable, sensitive, yet savage man underneath.

In the end, she had decided to put almonds in the chocolate. Although it might not be the sweetest type of chocolate, it represented perfectly how she felt about him. He was never predictable: with him, she never knew if she was going to receive the expected soft and sweet welcome, or find an actual hard bland brush-off underneath. The almond brought her nothing but an unwelcome interruption from her sweet sweet chocolate, but at the same time, it was what made her love the candy all the more. It was a testament to their love.

Or was it a testament to the fact that no matter how much chocolate she poured on their relationship, the hard almonds in his heart would always remain, torturing her?

It was at this part of the memory where despair started to seep in. He had caused her nothing but pain, and yet she couldn't resist going back to him again and again, like a moth drawn to the flame…

She was curled up on her bed now, softly crying in a fetal position. Am I a masochist? she wondered. Why is it that I have all the love and comfort I could ever want and need here with Ji Hoo, and yet all I can think about is returning to a man who's not interested in causing me anything but heartbreak? Why is it that whenever I'm alone, I don't think about how happy I am with Ji Hoo but rather how happy I wish I was with Yi Jeong?

She could hear, from somewhere far away, someone rapping on the door, but she felt physically incapable of getting up. Whoever was there would have to wait. Maybe they would even go away.

It was all her fault. She had thought she could change his feelings for her, mold them into what she wanted him to feel.

Someone was calling her name, but their voice was so faint and far away that she could barely hear them.

He had never loved her. The truth hurt, but it was something she had to face. She thought she had been facing it when she started dating Ji Hoo, but she had only been avoiding it.

Yi Jeong had never loved her. She repeated those words to herself again, like a child marvelling at the shine of a switchblade. She had been acting just like another stupid fangirl of his. Even now, she was dating Ji Hoo in the naïve attempt to make him jealous when the truth was, he had probably been relieved.

She felt arms wrap around her in a warm embrace, and that's when she realized Ji Hoo had come into the room with her. She knew she should feel comforted in his arms, but the only thing she could think about was how she was getting tears all over his expensive suit.

Yi Jeong had never loved her. But that didn't mean she had stopped loving him.

She pushed Ji Hoo away and sat up herself, ignoring his concerned gaze. She had thought she was moving on by dating him, but she had really just been hiding her feelings. How absurd was it that she was trying to get over Yi Jeong by dating one of his best friends? No, if she wanted herself to let go, this wasn't the way to do it. She could never let go of Yi Jeong if she stayed so close to him.

"Ji Hoo sunbae." He had already been looking at her attentively, but now he gave a slight inclination of the head to show that he was listening. If he had noticed she was calling him sunbae again, he didn't show it.

"What's wrong Ga Eul? Did something happen?"

"No. Well," she hesitated, "yes."

"You know my parents moved to America a few years back, but I chose to stay with Jan Di and her family in order to finish my schooling here. Well, I think it's time for me to go join them." She paused here, waiting for a response. He didn't say anything.

"It won't be forever, of course. I'll come back in a few—"

"So where does that leave us?" The question startled her, and she didn't know quite how to respond. She had assumed that by telling him she was going to leave the country for a few years would be indication enough of them ending their so-called relationship. After all, it really wasn't going to benefit either of them now. Yi Jeong Jeong had shown his disinterest more times than she could count, and Jan Di was already engaged, for heaven's sake! She was going to America in order to get herself sorted out and move on, and she really thought it was time for him to do the same.

"Well, I wouldn't my leaving to keep you from going on with your life—"

"Ga Eul, we both know you're not just going to America to be with your parents. You're doing it to get away from Yi Jeong." She nodded cautiously, not seeing where he was going with this.

"I know we both got into this relationship in order to make Yi Jeong and Jan Di jealous. I knew you were still hung up on Yi Jeong, so I wanted to wait for a better to tell you this, but I guess there is no better time now."

Ga Eul stared into Ji Hoo's earnest eyes with confusion. "Tell me what?"

"Tell you I don't like Jan Di anymore. And to tell you I…" he took a deep breath here, before uttering the five words that stopped Ga Eul's heart and changed everything.

"I love _you_, Ga Eul."

**AN: I have no idea where this fic is going, so any suggestions would be welcome and will be taken into consideration. Hope you guys liked this chapter, and I'll update as soon as I can!**


	12. Chapter 12

**AN: **It's been quite a while since I updated. I've been hitting a writer's block lately, and really had no idea where this fanfic was going. Sorry if anything in here was too generic, has obvious fallacies, or portray characters wayyy OOC. I was debating keeping hold of this for another week or so, but if I had I was afraid I would just end up scrapping everything again…

_**Previously…**_

_Ga Eul stared into Ji Hoo's earnest eyes with confusion. "Tell me what?"_

_ "Tell you I don't like Jan Di anymore. And to tell you I…" he took a deep breath here, before uttering the five words that stopped Ga Eul's heart and changed everything._

_ "I love you, Ga Eul."_

**Chapter 12**

Standing atop a lone bridge overlooking the nightlife, the Man was in a strangely good mood.

This didn't happen very often. In fact, he couldn't remember the last time he was this happy.

Maybe it was because he knew the time was close. Maybe he knew he was finally going to get back what was rightfully his.

That bitch was going to be dead by the end of this week, and he was going to enjoy watching her last moments.

Ah, there he came; one of the main players in this deadly game and part of the elusive F4 gang.

The Man gave a nod as the other male passed, but only received a cool glance in return. The brush-off left a sour taste in his mouth, which quickly boiled into anger.

He walked to the edge of the bridge and gripped the sides, willing his furious emotions to subside. The most important part of this game was to stay calm and focus on the prize. That F4 member was right to pretend to be disassociated with him right now. After all, wasn't that what they had agreed upon?

Soon, however, there would be no need for such masks. Soon everything would be out in the open and he would finally be able to regain his happiness. Soon, soon, soon.

As soon as that bitch was dead.

~! #$%^&*()_(&~! #$%^&*()(*&^%$# !~~! #$%^&*())(*&^%$# !~! #$%^&

Yi Jeong could not stop pacing. Where was she?

After his realization, he had tried to reach out to her. He had tried every possible way of communicating with Ga Eul in an effort to meet up somewhere and work things out. It had been unbelievably hard trying to get ahold of the woman, something he had never had trouble with before. He guessed it really shows him how much she had placed him as a priority before by keeping herself accessible at all times. He just wished he had realized how valuable she was sooner.

He had yet to catch a glimpse of her the last few weeks. She had been incredibly busy with Ji Hoo, it seemed. Speaking of Ji Hoo, the other man barely spoke to Yi Jeong anymore. Their relationship had never been as close as the others, but now, had it not been for regular F4 hang-outs, their very acknowledgement of each other would have become obsolete. As it was, any conversation between the two was extremely strained.

He had finally gotten to Ga Eul through Woo Bin. But where was she now? Woo Bin had told him she had agreed to meet up at the coffee shop at 5PM. So where was she?

His phone buzzed and Yi Jeong sped to check his text messages. It was from Ga Eul. The text stood solitary on the screen.

Sorry, I've changed my mind. I think it's better if we don't see each other.

-Ga Eul

For a few seconds, Yi Jeong didn't blink, didn't move. He just stared blankly at the text. A nearby waiter hesitated before tapping him on the shoulder. "Did you need help with anything?"

Crack! By the time the cellphone hit the ground Yi Jeong was already gone.

~! #$%^&*()_++_)(*&^%$# !~~! #$%^&*()_++_)(*&^%$# !~! #$%^&*()_++

"What sort of surprise is it?" Ga Eul couldn't resist asking. "Not another ridiculously expensive one I hope."

"You'll see," was the only response she got.

"But I can't see," she pouted. "You're covering my eyes."  
"Patience, my darling," Ji Hoo's voice admonished her, "patience."

"I'm trying, I really am. But we've been turning and walking for ages. How far exactly did we—"

"And voilà." The pressure on her eyes was removed, the dim light from the moon restored her vision, and Ga Eul looked in awe. The whole night sky laid spread like a blanket in front of them. "It's beautiful," she breathed.

"Well, I know you didn't like expensive gifts, so I thought this something free would suit your taste better," Ji Hoo murmured, coming up behind her. "I actually used to come up here a lot with some of the F4, when we didn't feel like talking much and just wanted a show."

"Wow," Ga Eul smiled. She had never really thought of the F4 as the sentimental type. Maybe Yi Jeong and Woo Bin acted like it around girls, but she really hadn't been able to imagine any of them displaying too many genuine feelings with, even each other.

"Do you think they'd mind you showing me this?" she realized amid the wonderment.

Ji Hoo laughed. "The guys aren't ones to care much about these kinds of things. Jun Pyo's showed Jan Di, and I'll bet Woo Bin's brought his fair share of lady meat up here as well." Ga Eul didn't miss the lack of a certain F4 member in the list, but her thoughts were distracted by a clattering sound from below.

"Are people still working at this hour?" She was surprised. Even when Jan Di had been working as a night janitor she hadn't been forced to stay on duty this late.

"There's work happening here at every hour of the day, but especially at this hour," Ji Hoo informed her. "We're at the top of an astronomical tower." Knowing Ga Eul's reaction before she made it, he hushed her. "Don't worry, we do have permission to be up here. My father has connections with the owner of this research centre, and we've been granted unlimited access to the building and all the equipment. What we've mostly been interested in is the roof.

Ga Eul smiled. "So what made you think I would like to have a rooftop view instead of getting to try a telescope or something of the like?"

He embraced her a little tighter. "When I was a kid, I always found it strange that people would be willing to give so much just to be able to make a little difference in their perspective. 'Is a boss' chair really that much more comfortable than that of a worker?' I wondered. The question intrigued me, and I thought that there must've been a reason but I never found it. When I met Jan Di, I thought I had finally found the answer to the question that had plagued me for so long. Her stubbornness and determination shone as a light to my dark path. I felt as if for the first time in my life I had finally gained the motivation to chase something. I believed I had finally found my goal in life.

"But it was exhausting, and I didn't like it. Soon, I began to wonder why I was doing any of it. When I realized my feelings were reciprocated, I was done. Any motivation I had previously had was gone, null, void. I felt myself slipping back to my old nature, and I hated myself for it.

"You made me accept myself, Ga Eul. With you, I finally regained that childhood wisdom which had been lost to me by the maturing years gone by. How good your life is doesn't depend on how hard you work towards what you think is success. It rests on how you enjoy what's right in front of your eyes."

Ga Eul's own eyes began to fill with tears. She had never heard anything from so deep within Ji Hoo's soul, and uttered in so sincere a tone.

"Thank you for sharing that with me," she uttered softly. "I appreciate it a lot.

He smiled at her, a soft sad smile. "You're welcome." There was another clatter from downstairs and he brightened. "I almost forgot; I've got another surprise for you. Wait here!"

Ga Eul contentedly let Ji Hoo slip away from her and looked up at the stars. She had been unbelievably stressed the last couple of days; a lot of things in her life were changing and sometimes it just felt like too much of a hassle to keep up with it. But now, as she stood staring a the stars with Ji Hoo's words still ringing in her ears, she felt perfectly at peace.

I wonder what he went to get, she mused lazily. Right as she thought that, she became aware of another presence. Turning around, she suddenly saw the giant telescope.

It was a magnificent presence, and she felt slightly foolish at not realizing it was there earlier.

"How many people's hopes and dreams must've been used to build this piece of equipment?" she wondered a loud. Beside its stately enormity, she felt almost insignificant.

Ga Eul would have probably continued pondering upon these philosophical lines, except that her thought process was rudely interrupted.

The feeling of the damp cloth clamped firm against her nose and mouth was startling, but quickly fading. "How many people's hopes and dreams? Too many if it was just for scum like you to see it," a voice cooed into her ear, its owners darting tongue lightly brushing against her robe.

Everything faded into darkness.

**AN:** Thanks for reading everyone! I have been waiting for a while to take a dark turn with this fic, but I wasn't sure when to do it. Hopefully this chapter pleased everyone. Please review with what you think should happen next! I have a hazy idea of where this might go, but all input will be taken into consideration!


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